'Equals' is a tender romance that'll tear your heart in half.

The emotional new film from Drake Doremus is a tender romance tucked in a sci-fi Trojan horse. Starring Nicholas Hoult and Kirsten Stewart, Equals is a sumptuous meditation on romance, emotion and what happens when those things are ripped away.

It's odd, creative and intensely insular, dropping viewers into a mysteriously monochromatic, near future world where everyone is emotionless and dressed in crisp whites. No explanation, no backstory. Hoult plays Silas, a regular citizen of this doped-up society. Each day is the same as the next. It's quasi-dystopian, like if people in 2030 were ruled by Xanax.

Stewart plays Nia, one of Silas' coworkers. But soon, she starts to feel — which is deeply forbidden.

That about does it for details, because the less you know or try to assume, the better.

Doremus, known for his deft ability to craft heartbreaking indies (Like Crazy), once again shows his gift for telling bruising, tender romances. Equals is his biggest film to date, both in terms of scope (this vast, meticulously designed dystopia) and star power (including an executive production credit from Ridley Scott).

The world recalls Her at times in its semi-futuristic aesthetic and intensely controlled color palette. Still, Doremus weaves an intricately character-driven narrative — and he will pummel you emotionally, over and over again.

This narrative is aided by impeccable visuals. The world is just stylishly futuristic enough without giving in to tacky sci-fi tropes. The bright whites and character compositions are sumptuous. All the starched clothing and slicked-back hair has a stunning collective impact.

Doremus also has a penchant for extreme close-ups, which lend his stark, emotionless world some much-needed sensuality and intimacy.

It's also stacked with fine supporting characters, including a charismatic Guy Pearce, an empathetic Jacki Weaver and a bit part from Bel Powley.

Stewart and Hoult, for their part, turn around deeply heartfelt performances, bouncing back and forth between perfectly robotic emotionless and volatile passion.

The first half of the film is really focused on stretching your imagination, lulling you into the everyday monotony. It seems to flirt with empty beauty, but managers to jolt you here and there with grim or surprising notes.

By the time you're in that second half, though, you won't know what hit you. All the emotion that was zapped out of the beginning comes rushing in, sweeping you off your feet and crushing you — one scene at a time.